Man tortured, murdered in mangrove forest near Phuket Town

PHUKET: Phuket Police found the bloodied body of an unidentified man who appeared to have been tortured before being murdered in a mangrove forest near Rassada Port, on the east side of Phuket Town (map here) early this morning.

Pieces of a broken beer bottle and a bloodied piece of wood believed to be the murder weapons were found nearby.

“We found the body tied by the neck to a tree with nylon cord,” said Phuket City Police chief Sermphan Sirikong, who was called to the scene at 3:20am.

“We think that a group of men brought him here and may have questioned him before they killed him,” he added. “We believe the motive was a business conflict or love affair.”

The man’s right ear was partially torn off and there were wounds above the ear, Col Sermphan said.

“He was beaten to death about three hours before his body was found,” he added.

The man was 25 to 30 years old, 160 to 165 centimeters tall. He had a tattoo on the left side of his chest and on his left shoulder. He was wearing a copper ring on his right little finger, Col Sermphan explained.

Police believe the man may have been a migrant worker or a crewman on a local fishing boat.

— Chaichana Keowkaow